13: Puzzle Pieces

Over the past few weeks, much has happened. Renovation of Pokemon Paradise has begun, slowly turning the crappy abandoned wasteland into actual lush, green, land. Let’s just say the changes were welcome. Very welcome. Waking up to grass and trees versus rotting wood, boulders, and dead earth- oh, sorry, dead Pokèmar, was much more pleasant and invigorating. Plus the sound of wind in the trees beats the sound of wind running through the wasteland it was by a mile.

Even better, with a much more pleasant plot, other Pokemon have actually asked to move in. We actually have the start of a town! Though through out it all, one thing sticks in my mind. Those words that I heard when I first arrived. “Please… Save our world… We will die without you… Please…” Save their world… Where do I even begin? What is it that threatens the world? And how do I fight it? Why was I recruited to fight it? I’ve never thrown a punch in my life before arriving here. So many questions, so few answers. I guess I can only hope that the answers reveal themselves to me before it’s too late…

“Hey, Alex? Thunder?” Dunsparce’s voice snaps me out of my little internal monologue as I’m whisked back to reality. Thunder and I were in Post Town doing some shopping for supplies for our missions. Dunsparce had decided to tag along.

“Hey, Dunsparce. What is it?” I ask.

“I heard you can get a good view of the Great Glacier from atop the hill in town. Wanna take a look?”

“Really? The Great Glacier? Of course!” Thunder replies. “First let’s finish our shopping.” Great Glacier? Sounds like a landmark if I ever heard one. I’ll have to ask about it. Here’s hoping it’s not the equivalent of Mt. Everest where pretty much everyone knows about it. I’d rather not have that conversation…

The hill on the northern end of Post Town is surprisingly high. High enough to peer over the trees that populated the landscape. It was a really good view. And in the distance to the north was what appeared to be a mountain. But… This mountain looked completely white. I saw no sign of rock anywhere on the elevated land. It just looks like… Ice. Nothing else. And judging by the fact that both Thunder and Dunsparce were looking at the same thing, that has to be the Great Glacier.

Problem is, I know very little about its significance. Sure, it’s a pretty sight, but the way that Thunder reacted to Dunsparce’s mentioning of it indicated something more…

“So, because I’m not from around here, I don’t really know what this “Great Glacier” is.” I say to them. “Would you mind filling me in?”

“Well… It’s an area that no one has ever been able to go.” Thunder replies. “A chasm surrounds it, preventing traversal on foot, and powerful windstorms prevent flying types from getting through without being blown away. For this reason, there’s a lot of mystery behind it. Many people have tried to reach it, none have ever succeeded.”

“So it’s basically an unexplored, unreachable region?”

“Basically, yeah.” Wow. That’s pretty intriguing. What is it that lies on that glacier? Why is it so unreachable? And… Why does it feel like it’s involved in my being here? I guess it doesn’t matter right now. “Someday I’d like to reach the Great Glacier. If there is a way, I hope I’m the one to find it.”

“Never stop dreaming Thunder… Though this may be a bit… Well… Unrealistic. But you never know.”

“Thanks for the support Alex.”

“No problem. If there’s one thing I learned, it’s that nothing is impossible.” Including being warped to an alien planet being told that you’re the last hope for their world. Because that’s what happened to me. So getting over a chasm or braving gale force winds to explore a glacier seems like child’s play in comparison.

Where am I? I just went to sleep and… Oh! It’s that psychedelic world! Am I being taken back?

“Alex…” There’s that voice again. I try to respond but just like before, nothing is spoken despite my strongest efforts. “This is … desperate … Help … Russet. … only hope.” The voice is weaker than when I first heard it. It’s almost as if its fighting through heavy static, garbling the message. Why is it desperate? The only hope for what? What is threatening this planet? Just tell me! I can’t help if I don’t know what I’m supposed to do! “HELP!” Well… That part’s as loud as ever… The world shakes and slowly a white glow envelops everything…

I wake with a start. My heart is pounding in my chest and I feel overheated. Guess sweat isn’t an option for a reptilian Snivy like me. Observing my surroundings I find myself in me bed, Thunder snoring quietly next to me. It was just a dream. But… It was so vivid… I’m so confused… What do I do… Maybe the cool night air will help calm my nerves…

“Alex?” Thunder askes tiredly. “What are you doing up so early?” I was looking out of the window when Thunder woke up. The walk helped but rest eluded me all night.

“I couldn’t sleep.” I admit. “There was this dream, I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep…”

“What sort of dream?”

“The same thing that I saw when I first arrived here. The psychedelic world, the voice, everything. Though the voice was decidedly weaker this time.”

“I wonder… Could someone be trying to sync up with you?”

“Sync up?”

“Yeah telepathic sync. Someone might be trying to communicate with you through dreams. They’re just having trouble syncing up.” Telepathic communication? Another outlandish concept, but again, I do not know what is and isn’t possible. For all I know, everyone here is telepathic. “Anyway, we should get going. It’s another great day! Let’s make the most of it!” Thunder happily dashes out the door, with me following behind. But… I couldn’t shake my mind of what Thunder had said. Telepathic message? From who? And what did they bring me here to stop? I need answers. But… If Thunder’s right, it’ll be a while before I get them. Sadly, patience has never been my strong suit. Still, doing missions with Thunder should help keep me occupied until then.